Time to come into the tent! Eric's frosty face at -42 C (-45 F).

Temperatures dipping to minus 42 C (-45 F), cement hard mazes of snowdrifts as high as four feet, wind in our faces, punchy snow and tricky willows, snow snakes, and frozen gas lines have provided for plenty adventurous excitement this week; but Arctic Mother Nature has surely rewarded us this past week too, as daily we have enjoyed breathtaking encounters with her inhabitants.

A group of caribou in the distance surprises the Polar Huskies and us alike!

Although we met caribou every day, Tuesday was definitely the highlight as far as sighting these gracious animals. The caribou most often use one of two approaches when they meet what looks to them like a pack of wolves. They will either attempt to get upwind in order to smell the scent, so that they are not "hunted", or they will run right at whatever is on their trail to simply outrun it. After a morning of hard work, traveling across one long slope after another, we came down onto Warton Lake. Mille said she could spot lots of caribou out in the distance to the east of the teams, in the exact direction we were heading, but with the wind coming from north/northwest the dogs did not pick up any scent - and apparently neither did the caribou. They obviously saw or heard the odd caravan in the distance though and drifted to our right as we approached them; basically running alongside us, in the opposite direction. As we traveled, the dogs would see them, but they would be far enough away so that we could just peacefully cross paths. Well, that was at least what happened until a few minutes before camp time. Paul and Mille were guiding the front team with Aksel and Disko in the lead when all of a sudden, seeming like out of nowhere, came a group of seven caribou from the right, running left, shooting directly in front of the team less than fifty feet away. At first - almost startled - the dogs took off, tails in the air with Mille and Paul desperately trying to hang on to the handlebar as they threw themselves onto the flying sled; yelling full out at the dogs to woaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh. They did!

We were also fortunate this week to see footprints of the elusive wolverine.

That night at camp Paul said he could hear the wolves howling in the distance. The following day we saw wolf tracks everywhere as we were traveling and at one point, to our great amusement, we saw Paul - who was skiing out front to make a trail - stop, lean his head back, and put his hands to his face. Apparently he heard a wolf howl in the distance and decided to try and answer it. When he did, three distinct howls came back at him from different directions.

This was truly Paul's week as far as animal sightings. That same day an Arctic fox came up to him, just twenty feet away!

Eric wiped out after yet another face-to-foot encounter with a snow snake. Listen as Aaron explains what a snow snake is.

The rest of us did not see that, but we did get to enjoy his next sighting. Wednesday was a cloudy day with very flat light. This basically means that due to the thickness of the cloud cover, the ground looks flat. There are no shades; you have no depth perception - no 3D effect. You can't tell if you are going uphill, downhill, or into a snowdrift! We were traveling overland to avoid the rapids of the Kunwak River when we stopped for lunch. Aksel had done a terrific job that morning as lead of the front team, but the snow was punchy and the rocks many, so we decided Paul should ski out ahead after lunch. When Paul took off, Mille was a bit slow getting her team moving after him because her ski binding was broken and giving her grief. He was a bit ahead, around the corner, when he yelled, "Musk Ox!!!!" Less than a quarter-mile in the distance, right on the other side of the small slope we had found shelter behind for lunch, was a large group of musk oxen; probably 12-15 head. It was an incredible spectacle. As Aaron put it, "It was an awesome sight. It was the first time I have ever seen musk ox in my life. They are majestic animals." Paul then expressed, "I was very happy to see the musk ox. I knew they were in the area but we had not seen any so far and according to Orin in Baker Lake, only twenty years ago there was no musk ox in this area." Will added, "I thought they were rocks!"

The beautiful, bright, orange lichen Xanthoria, known to the Inuit as "sun's excrement" grows on rocks.

The rest of us have to agree that at first they could easily be taken for rocks, and we have certainly been impacted enough from rocks this past week so it is no surprise that we now think we are seeing them everywhere, in all shapes - even moving ones!

Paul, in charge of the navigation this week, was contemplating how to best get around the esker ahead. Check out the QTVR to see the rocky landscape.

Navigating this week was quite challenging. To ease traveling for the dogs, pulling the loads, we make an effort to travel on ice wherever we can. As the barrens are a rolling patchwork of lakes, swamp, and connecting pieces of land, we try to hop from lake to lake, limiting our travel on land to the greatest possible extent. Aside from the fact that the snow is rarely as hard-blown on land, causing the sleds to tend to sink, we avoid land because of rocks - be it rock gardens consisting of boulders in all sizes, "scissor rocks" hiding underneath the snow that shred our sled runners, or eskers to be climbed and crossed.

Eskers are depicted on our maps as a line by a line with smaller cross lines - almost like a scar with stitches. These are some of the eskers we traveled along this week.

An esker is a long, winding ridge of sand and gravel that can reach up to one-hundred feet (thirty meters). They are often referred to as "Arctic Highways" because of the fact that animals, from wolverines to caribou, use these dry, elevated ridges as travel routes. They are ideal spots to keep an eye out for other animals and the sandy slopes are, likewise, easy spots for wolves, ground squirrels, foxes, and grizzlies to dig their dens. We most often try to avoid the eskers with their rocky surfaces but on the other hand, they are very handy navigation features to travel by as they can be seen from a distance and are readily located according to the map.

The word esker comes from an old Irish word "eiscir," meaning ridge. Today, on our rest day, we actually happen to be camped by an esker. Check out the QTVR of our camp. What do we use to stake out our tents?

Eskers are basically a leftover from the Ice Age. As the massive Arctic glaciers began to melt, carving out the barren land as we see it today, the melt-water formed tunnels inside the ice. The water carried loads of sand and gravel that then settled at the bottom of these tunnels, within the ice. When the last of the ice disappeared, the sand and gravel were left behind as ridges. Eskers occur in many northern regions. Mille says they have lots of them in Denmark, but she never really thought much about them, until they gained new meaning to her out here - because they are either in our way, or we use them to travel by. "This is one of the things I really appreciate, traveling in this imposing landscape." she shared. "My senses are awakened to my surroundings. I sense being very, very close to nature in all its brutality, magnificent beauty, and vast timelessness. Almost every day out here I am reminded that humans, and our ways, are but a split moment in time and that we must have utmost appreciation and respect for the force and resources of our surroundings." Sense of place is an interesting phenomenon. This morning Aaron went to every team member to ask them the same question: "What is your sense of this place?" Check out the videos in this week's Collaboration Zone 06 and make sure to add your own submission of "YOUR Sense of Place."

Hugh Dale-Harris

Paul Pregont

Will Steger

Aaron Doering

Eric Dayton

Besides allowing us to make water and cook, the stove, as well as the lantern, gives off heat in the tent. Our primary heat source is still our own bodies and the heat we produce by burning calories - meaning we eat LOTS of butter!

Speaking of resources and respecting nature, we want to address a good question we received in the Question & Answers section on the website last week: "If you are concerned about global warming, why do you use naphtha (white gas) to heat your cold tents instead of building warm igloos?" Our team, traveling from point A to point B, is similar to, but still very different from, the traditional nomadic lifestyle of the Inuit. The Inuit would truly travel according to the available resources; meaning they would pick their routes and campsites according to hunting opportunities - and where the snow would be right to build an igloo of the appropriate size. They did not travel according to any schedule.

With full days of travel and busy nights we admit we are being worked to the bone. Here Will is taking a breather, splashing out on the ground; waiting for the team ahead!

We, on the other hand, do have a schedule. We have to average our daily mileage to accomplish our goal of making it to Pang while visiting the nine communities along the way. Most importantly, we are committed to delivering a great education program from the field by using all of the technology available to us in order to convey the most authentic experience - giving everyone who is following along a chance to see, hear, and live the Arctic! Doing this puts us on a very tight schedule. Every minute of the day is used to its fullest extent. Aaron and Mille, the two team members primarily working with the program on a daily basis, often go to bed around midnight then get up six hours later for another full day of traveling in the elements. Without any doubt, we all agree that one drawback to how we travel is the close attention we actually pay to the clock. Even though we might be at a great camping spot at 3:30 in the afternoon, we do not settle in and set-up camp if there is more than 1-1/2 hours of daylight to go.

Up until this point the primary source of energy, powering all of our "technology," has been a small Honda generator. Last week a gas line froze up which was cause for a stressful week. Luckily we will soon have enough light to completely depend upon our solar panel system.

That said, if any of us had mastered the artful skill of building an igloo in less than an hour, as the Inuit hunters traditionally did when traveling on the land, we most certainly would! We would be a lot warmer, be less prone to being affected by wind storms, and have more space than in our little tents. We would still need a heat source to cook and make water though. The Inuit traditionally used seal blubber, which they burned just like fuel. Each of our tent units uses between 1,625 and 1,980 liters (55-66 ounces) a day to cook and, most critically, to melt snow and ice for water. From the second the stove is turned on, when we get inside the tent in the evening, until we turn it off when we crawl into our sleeping bags for the night; we have a pot on the stove making water. At the same time we hang our clothing up in the top of the tent, where the heat rises, to dry our garments for the coming day of travel.

Provided by our sponsor NRDC, our sleds are loaded with reading material of studies related to global climate change.

Discussing this question, we all feel it is important to stress our commitment to preservation of natural resources and the necessity to limit pollution. We believe it is all about balance and being conscientious about the use of resources; making wise decisions so that we can have the highest efficiency from every unit of resource used. Make sure to join the weekly chat on Thursday, March 4th with to discuss "World Resources." Also, add your thoughts to this week's discussion board. Let your voice be heard on this important topic! Depending on when we actually arrive in Baker Lake, we may be able to join you in the chat too.

Aaron and Will mushing a great team of Polar Huskies!

Yes, we are VERY close to Baker Lake - less than seventy miles away as the crow flies. And yes, we admit, we are all looking forward to a hot shower, a green salad, a pop, a cup of coffee and…get the picture! If the weather is with us and the powers are with our old fashioned energetic method of transportation - the Polar Huskies - we should be there in three days or so.

This week's Polar Husky Superstar, Charlie, is a true veteran of Arctic travel - and a great teacher of the younger guys as he inspires them to do their very best.

Speaking of energy, one Polar Husky that always comes to mind is Charlie. Going on ten years old, this week's Polar Husky Superstar, Charlie, is the oldest Polar Husky on this expedition, but he is also one of the most powerful and steady pullers we have out here. A very spirited, happy, and easy-going dog, he simply never seems to run out of energy. Being such a force, and so easy to get along with, Charlie runs on whichever team needs his power at any given moment. Lately one of his favorite running partners is this week's other Polar Husky Superstar, Tucker.

This week's other Polar Husky Superstar, Tucker, is a very happy puller who generally loves to run with Charlie in the back. The last couple of days he has had great fun running with his mother, Nazca, in point!

Even though Tucker can be shy with strangers, he has a carefree and cheery personality with tremendous drive. This has indeed become evident, as he has been running with Charlie the last month. He has really been learning the ropes of not only pulling hard, but also becoming quite the cheerleader, barking and leaping forward to see if he can possibly budge the sled whenever we are stopped.